Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Head, Hands, Heart, Health

My mother caught wind of another animal-related tragedy and bravely set
her intention. Leaving our ranch early one morning hauling a single-slot horse
trailer, she told me she’d be home late that night with, “A surprise.” Unbeknownst
to me, she’d set out on a ten-hour drive to retrieve an unwanted gelding, a
neutered male horse.

Chesapeake Bay’s owner retired the bay
gelding from the thoroughbred horse racing industry, deeming him “useless” at
the tender age of four. My heroic mother had an enormous heart for neglected
animals. With my nose pressed against the living room window, I finally saw
Mom’s headlights coming down our long driveway, hauling a horse trailer filled
with warmth, hope and love.

I charged out the front door to meet her and “the surprise” in the barn.
With a pounding heart, I helped open the back door to the trailer. My large
blue eyes grew wide as saucers in mesmerizing anticipation. My newly-rescued
horse gingerly backed out of the trailer to find an extremely eager nine-year-old
girl.

Being raised on a ranch, the familiar smell of a farm animal’s coat is comforting,
whether it be a goat, sheep, cow, pig or horse. Their natural aroma is heaven scent
and the smell of my gelding was instantly soothing. Slowly, I placed a hand on
either side of his soft nose. We breathed into each other’s nostrils, beginning
the bond of eternal trust. He closed his eyes and gently lowered his head into
my awaiting arms. Resting my cheek against his forehead, I whispered, “Horsie,
I will love you forever.”

My mother
suggested I join 4-H, the nation’s largest youth development organization.
Their oath states, “I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater
loyalty, my hands to larger service and my health to better living, for my
club, my community, my country and my world.”
Knowing I wouldn’t raise a farm animal, which goes to market per the 4-H
teachings, I said I would show horses instead.

Cindy Smith, the 18-year-old 4-H leader up the road, trained
Horsie and me for competition. Horsie and I entered every racing event
available. From Washington poll bending to barrel racing, Horsie and I took home first
place trophies and blue ribbons. He and I were very close, even sharing
chocolate pudding. Fascinated with the racing numbers tattooed into his upper
lip, I’d tickle his upper lip with a piece of straw and then take a peek.

After a year of showing Horsie, my mother suggested we go to
the auction and rescue another horse for me to show. Soon, we brought home a
quarter horse mare I named Brownie. Horsie and Brownie became instant friends.
A year later, Cindy offered her 28-year-old bay mare for me to show. She led
Shanty, her older mare, out of her barn and I rode her home. My three horses
and I took first place in every event we entered. Truly, I found my childhood
niche’.

By age 11, I
was showing three horses who would have gone to dog food, glue and gelatin.
Back in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, this is what happened to neglected,
unwanted and older horses. Horses found at the auction were either purchased by
people such as my animal-loving mother or by “killer buyers” for profit.

Today, America’s unwanted horses are either taken in by loving people for
companion animals, rescued by horse associations, or exported to Mexico or Canada for slaughter.

According to the Humane
Society of the United States, “While the HSUS and horse rescue organizations
across the country work tirelessly to give every horse a second chance,
thousands of American horses are still shipped across our borders each week for
slaughter because the horse slaughter industry can outbid them. Ask your U.S. Representative and Senators to support The Prevention of
Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503/S.727).”

To this day, I’m against the horse racing industry. Although
it’s been 40 years since I last rode Horsie, Brownie and Shanty, their fond
memories remain. As a middle-age woman, I’m maintaining the 4-H pledge to
engage my Head, Hands, Heart and Health
in all life’s precious endeavors.

About Deborah Gilson

Deborah L. Gilson is an American writer of short story nonfiction. Gilson is most widely known for her brand of heartfelt stories infused with empathy, insight and intimate details centered around her life's lessons.

Her eloquence in expressing ordinary, everyday problems earned her numerous acknowledgments, along with an international following. Her most famous books, And Then There Was One and Cultivated Confidence, epitomize her penchant for finding grandeur in the struggles of daily life.

Barnes & Noble, "Deborah L. Gilson began writing in 1967 at age seven and has these beginning writings tucked safely in their protected bound covering held together by a string. Deborah's mother dutifully typed these stories as Deborah stood by dictating her latest masterpiece. Because of Deborah's mother's ongoing support, the writing continues more than four decades later."

Influencers: Her late mother, Jesus, Princess Diana and Bruce Springsteen